new garden

hi everyone
i am clearing out a bed to create a new theme the sight is 10 x 1 metres tapering, with plenty of light, i was thinking a herbacious bed or planting shrubs and low growing plants at the front. any suggestions will be very welcome.
thanks rpdiy.:yho:

 

It seems a little narrow for much in the way of shrubs. One approach would be to plant first year flowering perennials. I would grow them from seed, as the cost will be very little, and you can get a large number of plants. If you get the Mr Fothergill, or Thompson & Morgan catalogues and look through them, they identify perennials that flower in the first year. This is how I started.

You can then afford to buy a few single plants that you really want, without breaking the bank or having to worry if they flower in the first year. Some plants have to be bought, as they don't come true from seed, or the parents are sterile.

I would go for plants that flower for a long period of time. (good value for money :D). For me these are :-

Salvia microphylla (or Salvia greggii - virtually the same thing). This is a small bush that flowers for up to 6 months of the year.
Hardy Geraniums "Patricia" (pink) and/or "Rozanne" (blue). "Jolly Bee" is virtually identical to "Rozanne". These must be purchased as they are sterile hybrids, which is one reason why they flower for so long.
Aster fricatii "Monch", must be bought as it doesn't come true from seed. This variety flowers for twice as long as any other type of Aster, from July to November.
Astrantia major - there are numerous named forms. "Hadspen blood" (dark red) and "Buckland" (white) are very good, but others will suffise. They flower for months. They flower early, and then repeat flower later in the year.
I also like Centranthus rubra (Red Valerian). Its a wild flower, but flowers for a very long period and is very happy in dry ground.

 

I agree with Peter - go for perennials. Once they're established, you have them for years and they can be divided so you get plants for nothing.

But leave a few spaces to put "winter interest" plants in too. Herbaceous perennial borders look a bit depressing and bare in winter otherwise.

 

The other thing about perennials, is that after a year or two when you have had time to think about it. You will know better what you want. You can then dig them all up and reorganise them. The only things you can't dig up are those like Centranthus with a tap root. But you usually find seedlings about, which you can move. So you never lose out.

 

I've done that several times and they recovered fine:gnthb:

 

You could also put in some summer flowering bulbs, such as Alliums, Lilies, Iris etc. and they definitely will flower this year. Just dot them around the perennial plants and they will hide the bulb foliage when they have finished flowering.